‘Westworld’ Bosses Confirm Anthony Hopkins’ Season 2 Return

Sunday’s Westworld premiere answered at least a few of our burning questions, including the fate of one enigmatic character. That said, a familiar voice was heard in Season 2’s “Journey Into Night,” and producers confirm said actor is indeed returning for more episodes.

You’re warned of full Westworld Season 2 spoilers from here on out, but were a gunshot to the head not enough to convince you Anthony Hopkins’ Dr. Robert Ford was no longer among the living, the sight of his bloated, maggot-filled corpse should do the trick. The organic nature of hosts notwithstanding, it’s safe to say that Ford’s body underwent natural human decomposition, and wasn’t secretly a host replacement as fans hoped. Instead, Ford’s younger host self popped up to deliver exposition to Ed Harris’ William, though it almost seemed Hopkins’ unmistakable timbre kept breaking through the robot’s voice. As UPROXX confirmed with HBO and Jonathan Nolan, it actually was:

When available Anthony Hopkins graciously lent his vocal performance for our flashbacks.

Mind you, the scene between William and young Ford only took place in “flashback” in the sense of a missing two weeks between Dolores shooting Ford and Bernard washing up on the beach. It’s likely Nolan was referring to actual flashbacks to Ford’s life in the past, as the trailers appeared to showcase. Westworld was reportedly looking for an actual actor to play Ford in flashback, so – even with Anthony Hopkins’ voice – it remains to be seen if Season 2 will use the same de-aging technology to depict a more grown-up version of the character.

It’s still possible Hopkins makes an actual return (come on, that host in Ford’s basement had to be for something), but rest easy. You’re not imagining Anthony Hopkins’ voice everywhere you go, though it wouldn’t be so bad. Dude looks like a fun guy.